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    Pentagon to Put Syria Withdrawal ‘on Pause’ When Number Falls to 1,000 – Report

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    Middle East

    Earlier, Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford denied reports that close to 1,000 of the estimated 2,000 US troops in Syria would stay in the war-torn country despite President Trump's withdrawal promises.

    The withdrawal of the US contingent in Syria will be put on pause after troop numbers are halved by early May, The York Times has reported, citing officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

    According to the officials, the pause will be followed by an assessment of ‘conditions on the ground', with further withdrawals occurring every six months or so until numbers fall to the 400 troop limit approved by Trump in February. This, noted, means Trump may not get his 400 troop cap until fall 2020.

    Officials also indicated that the withdrawal timetable remains ‘fluid' and dependent on a range of factors, including everything from European allies' troop contributions to negotiations with Ankara regarding a possible so-called safe zone along the Turkish border separating the country from the US's Syrian Kurdish militia allies, which Turkish authorities classify as terrorists.

    A Joint Chiefs spokesman did not comment on the alleged altered withdrawal timetable, insisting that the Pentagon is continuing “to implement the president's direction to draw down US forces to a residual presence in a deliberate and coordinated manner.”

    Under Trump's directive, two groups…

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